Tag Archives: Dubai

December 2nd marks the 41st National Day of the United Arab Emirates. In a culture that is so rich with tradition and customs, the celebrations seem to be (in typical UAE fashion) more about personal pomp than national pride.

Dubai police have gone so far as to ban ‘Car Parades’ (one of the most popular ways to celebrate National Day according to The National newspaper). These parades, whereby tributes to the UAE leaders and national flag are flaunted in engine-revving fashion, are really just an obnoxious display of wealth and arrogance, not to mention a dangerous one. So are these antics really how Emiratis choose to celebrate their great nation?

At first glance, yes. When frequenting the popular neighbourhoods of Dubai, such as JBR, and Abu Dhabi it would appear so. However, if you delve a little deeper and go in search of authentic national pride, it’s everywhere – even in some surprising places – whether it’s a SMS of thanks and blessings that went out to every citizen and resident of UAE from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai (I got one on both mobiles), in the shopping centres, or as I discovered, even at the zoo. I decided to venture out-of-town to Al Ain, a small city in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, and was pleasantly surprised to see a grassroots celebration in which the elders shared dance, song and even a history challenge with the children.

So while the celebration of customs and culture of the United Arab Emirates is anything but typical on National Day, it’s really rather fitting for a nation that is young, rambunctious, and ever so proud.

This past Friday I attended a type of event which is far too rare in UAE – a Yogathon. The event invited yogis and yoga-newbies alike to complete 108 sun salutations together at the base of the famous Burj Khalifa, as a fundraiser for the Dubai Autism Centre.

I’m always keen to participate in any yoga event I can so I was thrilled to see this one scheduled on my day off and for such a good cause as well. Friday morning I made the trek to Dubai and met up with my friend and all-time favourite yoga teacher Liz Terry to get our bend on. It was great to see the turn out really was a mix of experience levels, and also that it became a big family event. I have to admit though, I was a wee bit nervous about completing the 108 sun salutations (the event was scheduled for 3 hours!).

While quite simple in execution, I actually really love sun salutations – especially first thing in the morning. Not only does it get your blood flowing but they also get all the kinks out of your muscles and your back. So why 108 sun salutations? Well, apparently the number 108 has long been considered a sacred number. There’s always something to learn in yoga. 🙂

The first hour was hot – about 35C – but we soon got into a rhythm and despite the lumpy grass, it was an incredible location. I felt so grateful for every breath I took as I stretched up to the bright blue sky and the towering Burj Khalifa – the 108 salutations flew by quickly.

Two days later, I feel like I could use another Yogathon – or at least a class – to stretch my tender muscles. But I know I’ll be there next year, doing it all over again. Om.

According to Wikipedia, the term “Going Postal” means becoming extremely and uncontrollably angry, often to the point of violence, and usually in a post office or other workplace environment.

While I am far from reaching this stage, many Dubai residents can tell you about their endless list of unusual and frustrating procedures and events that occur in the UAE when the same process is so simply in every other country. Here is my recent example:

I wanted to mail a letter home. I finally found a post office (the first time in my 2 years in UAE), went inside where I learned that I had to take a number and queue. When I finally got to the counter, I was told that I could certainly buy my single stamp but they were unable to mail it for me. At the post office. It’s up to you to locate a post box outside and mail your letter, which not only adds an extra step for me but I think it’s safe to assume they need to hire somebody to now collect, deliver and sort this mail.

It has (again) been too long since I’ve provided an update. After my last post below – in case my frustration wasn’t evident – I decided to relocate to Abu Dhabi rather than make the daily commute from Dubai. As much as I miss Dubai and the lifestyle, I love that I have two hours of my life back every day and I’ve eliminated the stress of that drive – it just wasn’t worth it.

So now I live in a beautiful new complex called Al Raha Beach, which is ten minutes from work and 45 minutes from Dubai Marina, and I’m loving life again.

Much has happened over the summer – I went home to Canada for a couple of weeks (far too short for such a long distance), another Ramadan has come and gone – more about that shortly, I went “Primal” – TWICE -, and I’ve even found time to check a travel item off my bucket list.

For those who don’t already know, I have been making the treacherous commute from Dubai to Abu Dhabi every day for the past month. It’s about 120 km each way and some may think – as I did – that so many others do it and there’s nothing wrong with a little commute. I’m Canadian after all – we’re used to spending long stretches behind the wheel as we trek across our home and native land.

Reality hit pretty quickly as I contemplated what this drive would be like when I’m working 16 hour days leading up to the hotel opening (more about that later) and whether keeping my amazing life in Dubai is really worth two hours of terror every day. With the end of my apartment lease in Dubai coming up quickly, I was forced to make a decision. Coincidentally, several reports were released this week regarding traffic statistics on UAE roads. While the reports showed a positive change, the numbers speak for themselves – and it’s a scary story they tell.

This is ultimately what cemented my decision to move from Dubai to Abu Dubai.

The number of traffic accidents in the UAE fell by about 20% from 9,658 in 2009 to 7,642 in 2010. Fatalities fell nearly 14%, from 966 in 2009 to 826 in 2010. In 2011, there were 6,700 accidents. Seems like good news, right? Until you consider that these crashes resulted in 7,808 injuries and 720 deaths. That’s over 560 accidents and 60 deaths – every month – in UAE. 60 deaths are entirely preventable every single month?! Tragic.

Also bear in mind that UAE is small – only 83,000 km sq. To put it in perspective, it’s slightly larger than the province of New Brunswick.

The stretch of highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is infamous for bad driving; the rules, rather than the exceptions, include excessive speeding over 200 km/hr, tailgating and flashing high-beams, passing on the shoulder of the road, and just general bullying. I continue to be shocked daily by the antics I see. While I often wish I could capture these on film, I’d much rather get home safely. But here is a little report I found from The National that will give you just a small glimpse.

I’ve read that there has been an increased police presence however in the 40+ hours I’ve recently spent making that drive, I have yet to see any at all. So how to change the lay of the land, literally? While having police and radar cameras more visible – and actually enforcing the laws – would help dramatically, I wish there was a way to call on each road rager and bully-beamer and ask them to lay off on what is entirely selfish behaviour. We’ll all get there in due time and if everyone would act more responsibly, we would all get there alive – inshallah.

Comment below and let me know what you think should happen to increase traffic safety.

Oy, I’ve been embarrassingly negligent with my newbie blog! It’s a lot like that Christmas letter you always intend to write but want to commit loads of time to sit down and do it properly, and that time just never seems to come.

So enough excuses, here is a quick and dirty update.

They say what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. There was a time when I really thought my job would break me. And I’m not talking about 10 years ago at the start of my PR career, I mean the first 3-6 months after I landed in Dubai. It was by far the biggest challenge with the most difficult obstacles that I have ever had to overcome. However, through sheer determination (not to mention, a tad too much pride) I persevered and stuck it out to not only open the hotel, but stay on for 18 months and elevate it’s profile within the regional and international media.

Now I’ve signed up to do it again – this time in Abu Dhabi. I will be opening the largest hotel in the world for the brand; 447 hotel rooms, 85 villas, 11 restaurants…I could go on. It’s a monster project and I can hardly wait to get started! I will be living in Dubai and commuting to Abu Dhabi – it’s about 45 minutes to an hour each way. Tentative start date is April 1 (working on obtaining my visa) and the hotel is set to open later this Fall.

I had an opportunity to visit Abu Dhabi a couple of weeks ago and play tourist for an afternoon. One of the highlights was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The architecture was stunning and everything from the carpets to the chandeliers were breathtaking. It boasts one of the largest chandeliers in the world and all 7 chandeliers are made of Swarovski crystals, with a combined value of almost USD $10,000,000. Because it’s a mosque, modesty is of the utmost importance and women have to wear abaya and cover their hair. Personally, I’d love to wear the abaya every day – imagine, never having to worry about what to wear or doing your hair! It would save me an hour every day at least.

Ok, I’ve redeemed myself hopefully with this dispatch and promise to write more soon. Off to Goa for the weekend – yes, you can do that when it’s a 3-hour flight away – so will definitely have more updates.

While Dubai is a place people come to experience the abundance of diverse cultures, there is always a part of you that craves the familiarity of home (and I don’t just mean hitting up the newly opened, Canadian institution Tim Hortons which has taken UAE by storm).

Today Surf Dubai hosted the 3rd Sunset Open surfing competition. While I sat, blasted by the high-winds and sunshine, I couldn’t help but notice the parallels to many events in Whistler – a musician belting out tunes on acoustic guitar (an anomaly here since buskers are non-existent by strict visa regulations), a Red Bull tent passing out product and although the event was sponsored by Quiksilver, Roxy, Oakley and Monster logos were in abundance as well. But above all else, the most frequent comment heard was that this felt like a “normal” place.

And I smiled as a Kiwi chimed in agreement with the Brit, who nodded at the South African, while the Indian men cheered on the surfers and the Arab ladies held on to their abaya and hijab in the raging winds. ‘ Yup’, I agreed, ‘normal.’

As I was putting pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard as the case may be – to finally launch my first blog, I got cold feet.

Since moving to Dubai in September 2010, I’ve had countless friends and family ask me to write, to tell more about my life here, to explain what it was like to move so far away and transition to a radically different culture. With no good explanation (well, a lack of internet and a 90 hour work week were pretty good excuses), I just never got started. So imagine the week I finally put my mind to it, the framework of this blog was created, I’m wrapping my head around what kind of introduction I should make – and something happened that was startling, sobering but truly epitomized the way of life here….

Five bloggers were sent to prison for insulting the leaders of the country. And not just for the night. One blogger received 3 years in prison and the remaining four received 2 years each.

It was enough to make me want to unplug my laptop and cancel my internet.